The present invention relates to a dental drill alignment device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a dental drill alignment device that includes a first transducer attached to a dental drill for generating an angle signal, a second transducer affixed to a tooth for generating an angle signal, a central control unit for comparing the two angle signals to each other if they are within an acceptable predetermined difference tolerance value, and an alarm indicating when the angle signals do not correspond within the predetermined value.
Despite the sophistication of current dental technology, all dental operations are performed by hand and therefore their success depends totally on the experience and physical condition of the dentist.
Of extreme importance, is maintaining the dental drill in the desired angular position during the dental operation. This, however, can present a problem since both the dental drill and the patient are not stable in space and their orientation can be frequently changed during the dental operation. This will cause the drilling direction to change and present a serious deficit when specifically oriented holes must be drilled in a tooth.
During many dental operations it is often necessary to drill these specifically orientated holes in a tooth. For example, in order to provide an artificial crown for a tooth, the crown portion of the tooth is first ground down to the root surface. Thereafter a peg or support, usually gold, for the artificial crown, is inserted into the root by means of specifically orientated holes drilled into the root.
Numerous innovations for dental drill orientating devices have been provided in the prior art that will be described. However, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention in that they do not teach a dental drill alignment device that includes a first transducer attached to a dental drill for generating an angle signal, a second transducer affixed to a tooth for generating an angle signal, a central control unit for comparing the two angle signals to each other to be within a predetermined difference tolerance value, and an alarm for indicating when the two angle signals do not correspond within the predetermined difference tolerance value.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,334 to Weissman teaches a dental paralleling guide adapted to be pivotally and vertically held in a desired part of a tooth so as to provide for the drilling of parallel holes in the tooth.
Another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,866 to Weissman teaches an adjustable drill guide that includes an elongated hollow member with an elongated bar that is telescopically received in the hollow member. A locking device secures the bar within the hollow member at a preselected extended position. A locating pin depends from the distal end of the bar and is received in a hole provided in a first tooth while the body member is disposed in a channel extending from the first tooth to at least one adjacent tooth. A drill bushing passes through the distal end of the hollow member and extends upwardly therefrom for guiding a drill during the formation of a hole in an adjacent tooth.
Still another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,367 to Rosenstiel teaches a dental drill alignment indicator that allows the initial position of the axis of a cutter to be related by means of electronic "spirit levels" to a selected axis. Deviation from this axis by more than a predetermined amount is indicated by light sources. By means of a code these light sources indicate how the dentist must move the cutter to return to the correct axis.
Finally, another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,042 to Jansen teaches a dental drill that includes a drill head carrying a drill bit and a telescopic drilling template attached to the drill head. After a first hole has been drilled in the tooth with the drill bit, the template is inserted into that hole.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for dental drill orientating devices have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.